Nube Negra, a Good Bet for Champion Chase this Season
Although the 2021 Queen Mother Champion Chase was lacking two of the biggest stars from the race in Chacun Pour Soi and Altior, it is a contest which may have given us a glimpse into the future in the 2m chasing division.
Put The Kettle On and Nube Negra were involved in an excellent tussle at the finish, with the former coming out on top by less than a length. The runner-up has an excellent chance of reversing that form and going one place better in the Championship race in 2022.
Dan Skelton’s runner is 9/1 in the betting for the feature race on day two of the Cheltenham Festival. After an excellent performance in the Grade Two Shloer Chase at the November Meeting, he is likely to be a one of the popular betting tips for the meeting in March.
Nube Negra is seven years old, so he remains open to improvement over fences. His victory last time out at Cheltenham was just his eighth appearance over fences. He has won four of those races which gives him an impressive 50% strike rate as a chaser.
Skelton has made a very good start to the 2021/22 season which could indicate he is set for his best campaign yet. Nube Negra is the flagship horse in the Lodge Hill yard at the moment. He has some talented novices, but they will have to prove themselves over the next six months.
Sandown Next for Talented Chaser
Nube Negra has an entry in the Group One Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown next month which will be another strong test for the horse. That could see him take on some of the leading horses in the UK and Ireland in the 2m division.
Last season’s Arkle Trophy winner Shishkin has an entry in the Tingle Creek field and is the favourite with the bookmakers. He is unbeaten in five starts over fences, but all those runs have come in novice company. Nicky Henderson’s runner will now feature against much more experienced chasers so he may not have it quite his own way.
Chacun Pour Soi is expected to make the trip from Willie Mullins’ yard to Sandown. The horse finished ahead of Nube Negra in the Champion Chase at the Punchestown Festival last April. That race came at the end of a long hard season for Skelton’s runner. The Irish horse did not run at the Cheltenham Festival, so he was much fresher.
Although the result at Sandown is not the only factor to consider when it comes to the Champion Chase, a victory over Shishkin and Chacun Pour Soi would see Nube Negra even closer to the top of the betting.
The former Spanish-based horse has run at Sandown before. He finished second in the Grade One Henry VIII Novices’ Chase in his novice campaign. Victory on his return to the Esher-based track will be the biggest success of his career so far.
Selection: Nube Negra to win Queen Mother Champion Chase @ 9/1
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